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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24887545">switchblade faith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderet/pseuds/lavenderet'>lavenderet</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 3, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, F/F, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:56:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,858</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24887545</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderet/pseuds/lavenderet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I don’t care what they say about me.”</p><p>Saori’s hand migrates from Hamuko’s lap to her cheek. “Are you sure?” </p><p>“Yeah.” A firm nod. Hamuko smiles gratefully. “I’m sorry I made you worry about me. It just rips me up inside when the people I care about get hurt.” </p><p>(And, looking back, Saori should have taken that as a sign.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arisato Minako/Hasegawa Saori, Hasegawa Saori/Female Persona 3 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>switchblade faith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>here is my first (and long overdue) saoriham fic!! i kept it simple since i'm still exploring my characterizations of them, but i  hope you still enjoy what i wrote &lt;3</p><p>the self-harm reference is so small and subtle that it’s barely noticeable, but if you want a heads-up, it's directly after the line, "carefully avoiding stimulating the cuts and bruises".</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hamuko’s confession, when it finally comes, is a reckless thing. She kisses Saori in the middle of a library shift, pressing her flat against a bookshelf like they’re not in plain view of anyone unfortunate enough to pass by. When Saori expresses this to her, Hamuko shrugs one shoulder in that aggravatingly blasé way of hers and says, voice airy, “I don’t care.” </p><p>And she really doesn’t— a second later she goes back to kissing her, and Saori stops thinking. Hamuko makes things look so ridiculously easy, kissing, especially, and to say that Saori is out of her element would be a gross understatement. She’s two years older than her; taller, though only by a few centimeters; has traveled on her own and knows how to work a debit card; but other than that, she has no clue what she’s doing. Hamuko leads the whole thing. It’s disorienting, it’s degrading, and yet sparks flood through her nonetheless. </p><p>“You’re a very good kisser,” Saori says, breath still unsteady as they part. Speaking the words only makes her more aware of how swollen her lips are, how she can still feel Hamuko’s breath ghosting over her.</p><p>Hamuko smiles blindingly. “You think so? That was my first kiss.”</p><p>And then, with a wink and a pat on the shoulder, Hamuko twirls away, pretends to examine a book on the shelf beside her. It’s only when Saori catches her breath enough to glance blearily at her surroundings that she notices a student at the front desk. </p><p>Saori checks out their books and prays desperately the flush on her face isn’t obvious.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“You want to come with?” </p><p>“I do… but I don’t think my parents will let me.” </p><p>And that’s more or less how the first week of their relationship goes: Hamuko will ask to take her out, and Saori will agree only about ten percent of the time. At some point Hamuko marches up to her bedroom window and thunks a rock against it, climbing up the nearby tree with absolute zero regard to safety. “Come with me!” she says, holding one hand out and balancing her weight with the other. </p><p>A moment of shock passes— then, Saori slides up the glass and peeks her head out warily. “My parents will kill me if they find out,” she says, but she can feel the beginnings of a smile touch her lips.</p><p>Hamuko grins back. “Then they won’t find out.” </p><p>So Saori, with Hamuko’s help, climbs out the window like a proper Rapunzel, sans the overgrown hair. They emerge from the base of the tree with scratches and splinters and laughter brighter than any sun, Hamuko’s hand finding Saori’s and squeezing it tight— a wordless reassurance. </p><p>She’s sure Hamuko can feel the rabbit-fast pace of her pulse, but if she does, she doesn’t say a word; she simply tugs Saori along the street, en route to the nearest station. </p><p>As the sea begins to encroach their vision, Saori says, “I’ve haven't done this much,” and her voice comes out a little higher than normal— no doubt the adrenaline is coloring her words already. </p><p>Hamuko swings their arms back-and-forth. “Done what? Been to the port?” </p><p>“Snuck out,” Saori clarifies, then flushes red at the admission. “It’s normal for high schoolers, isn’t it? To rebel against your parents.” </p><p>For a moment, Hamuko goes quiet. Then, she says, “I wouldn’t know.” </p><p>But the empty gloss of her eyes is soon covered up with a smile, the bounce of Hamuko’s step as she pulls Saori onto the station’s stairs and kisses her from one step above. Saori can’t help her nervous laughter; the station isn’t crowded, but there’s enough loiterers that Saori wonders if they saw. Realizing this, Hamuko knocks her fist gently against Saori’s head.</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay. Let them think what they will.”</p><p>“… I know.” Of course she knows. Who on earth is willingly this self-conscious? She bites her tongue, though, knowing it will only needle Hamuko further. Instead, she steels herself and leans that small inch forward, closing the distance between them to plant a soft kiss on the corner of Hamuko’s mouth. </p><p>Hamuko tenses. Before Saori can pull away, she catches her wrist and stares at her, wide-eyed and blushing, then tilts her head into another kiss— </p><p>—and promptly reels back. “The train should be here right about now!” she exclaims, using her grip on Saori’s arm to drag her up the stairs. </p><p>Saori stumbles after Hamuko’s bouncing ponytail, blood rushing through her ears and cheeks at the thought of Hamuko’s blown pupils, the lost warmth of Hamuko’s breath caressing her jaw. She’s never seen vulnerability in her eyes before; it’s guarded at every interval, even when laughing with classmates, and around her friends and Saori it’s only less so. But where Hamuko’s honesty is blunt, shameless, daring, this particular brand was— genuine uncertainty. Something fragile and questioning. </p><p>Saori did that to her. </p><p>“Hamuko-chan,” she breathes, pulling her to a stop, “wait.”</p><p>Hamuko turns around. Any sign of annoyance, worry, fear— there’s none of it. “What is it?” she asks.</p><p>“I don’t regret this,” Saori says, and clutches at Hamuko with both hands. “I could never regret this. You’re— everything to me.” She swallows. “I just wanted you to know—” </p><p>“I know.” Hamuko smiles, gazes brightly at her for a moment before her eyes flutter closed. She draws close, tucks Saori’s hair behind her ear— </p><p>The train announcer warns their departure. They only make it on the train by a hair.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>As it is, Saori can’t move two steps without hearing rumors about the magazine. When they make it to the mall, Saori spots some of her classmates in line at the café, and it all goes to shit from there. </p><p>Hamuko apologizes to the café’s proprietor for the disturbance and leaves smiling, but Saori knows better. She’s well-acquainted with its artifice, having sustained invective from both her parents and superiors left and right and left and right until she nodded and smiled, too, did everything under the sun to make them happy. So when Hamuko plops down onto the fountain ledge and tears into her taiyaki, Saori places a hand over her thigh and says, “Are you okay?”</p><p>Hamuko hums into the pastry. “Of course I am.” There’s red bean paste on her mouth, which Saori aches to wipe away with her thumb. </p><p>“… I’m sorry I didn’t speak up. It’s my fault they berated you, after all…” </p><p>“No, no, it happens,” Hamuko reassures, then takes another fierce bite of her taiyaki. “That’s <em> their </em>fault, not yours or mine. They don’t know the real you. And if my reputation gets hurt because of it?” She crushes the wrapper in her fist. “I’d take that fall for you. No one says such terrible things about my girlfriend and gets away with it.”</p><p>Saori’s heart squeezes at the word “girlfriend”. “It’s nothing compared to what they said about you, Hamuko-chan.” </p><p>“I don’t care what they say about me,” Hamuko protests, but she’s sulking. </p><p>Saori’s hand migrates from Hamuko’s lap to her cheek. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yeah.” A firm nod. She smiles gratefully. “I’m sorry I made you worry about me. It just rips me up inside when the people I care about get hurt.” </p><p>(And, looking back, Saori should have taken that as a sign.)</p><p>But now, Saori strokes a thumb over Hamuko’s cheek and murmurs, “Because you’re too kind.” That brash, careless kindness which has saved Saori’s life more times than she can count… she will never know how to thank Hamuko for it.  “Don’t worry, Hamuko-chan,” Saori says instead, softening at Hamuko’s answering pout. “I’m not hurt at all. I have you with me, after all.”</p><p>Hamuko shakes her head, laughs weakly. “Right. Of course…” She turns her head and kisses Saori’s palm.</p><p>They go home hand-in-hand, Hamuko ensuring Saori returns home before midnight— a gesture fitting for a modern Cinderella. Saori presses Hamuko to her body and holds her tight, as if to memorize her warmth, as if to carry her inside, even after she leaves. She will never tire of the way Hamuko radiates heat, like a hearth that’s lit after months of frozen solitude. </p><p>“I love you,” she says, and her heart bursts at being able to finally, finally say it.</p><p>Hearing it back, on the other hand— well. Perhaps it’s enough to say that Saori dreams happily for the first time in years.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When October hits, it hits hard— unforgiving in its pace. Her parents say she’s due to transfer schools in a matter of months. Even after weeks spent in Hamuko’s company, Saori’s passivity remains, and she listens, she surrenders, she accepts. She knows she’s powerless against them as it is. But her secret trysts with Hamuko fill her with secret, satisfying knowledge: they only <em> think </em>they can control her. And when the time is right, she will prove them wrong. Hamuko’s hand in hers is proof of that. </p><p>But the night after October 3rd, something unusual happens. Saori is tucking into bed, exhausted from listening to her mother lecture about this and that, when a large weight thumps against her window, startling her out of her skin. Fumbling for the closest weapon (a lamp, as it happens), Saori approaches the source of the noise with steady slowness— </p><p>Then releases a heavy sigh. “Hamuko-chan, what are you doing?” </p><p>“Let me in,” Saori sees Hamuko mouth through the window, her fists knocking gently at the glass. Saori does, and Hamuko collapses into the room with so little finesse that Saori winces, wondering if her parents heard— but after a long, tense silence, nothing comes. </p><p>Hamuko chokes out a breath. “S-sorry.” </p><p>“No, just… please don’t scare me like that again.” She sets the lamp down, aware of how she must look, disheveled from sleep and worry. Pressing out the wrinkles in her clothes, she sits on her bed and gives Hamuko a careful once-over, noting her crooked uniform and heaving chest. </p><p>“… Is something the matter?”</p><p>“Ah—” Hamuko answers with strained laughter. “No, no. I just wanted to make sure you were…”</p><p>She trails off. Saori tilts her head. “Make sure I was…?”</p><p>“N— nothing! I shouldn’t even be here.” Hamuko turns to leave, but as she does, something makes her teeter over, hand clutching at her stomach and the other bracing herself against the wall. Saori jumps up and helps steady her, leading her to sit on the bed next to her.</p><p>“Hamuko-chan? What’s going on?” </p><p>“I-I’m f…” Her breath catches in her throat, face whitening at something Saori can’t see. Saori, glancing down at the area of her stomach Hamuko is keeping a hand pressed against, pries her fingers off of her shirt to untuck it from her skirt. </p><p>The fabric comes loose; Hamuko stifles a pained whine. “Can I take it off?” Saori asks, just to be sure, and lifts the shirt’s hem at Hamuko’s nod. Slowly, slowly, Hamuko’s skin is revealed, first its familiar softness, then a blooming red, followed by a slew of still-bleeding cuts and bruises that make Saori’s lip tremble from nausea. </p><p>“Hamuko, what… ?” She clasps a hand over her mouth. “What happened?”</p><p>“Ahaha.” Hamuko waves it off, as dangerously blithe as always. “Don’t make that face, Saori-chan. I was going to patch it up when I got home, I swear.”</p><p>Saori makes a frustrated noise. “That doesn’t answer my question!”</p><p>“Oh, my. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you yell before,” Hamuko says. Then, likely sensing Saori’s growing irritation, amends, “I got into a bit of trouble at the station, that’s all. I’m fine now! See?”</p><p>Saori shakes her head, distraught. “I can’t believe you’d…” But stops, because she can, can’t she? Ever since the two met, Hamuko has boasted a free spirit, uncaring of the viciousness of the world and always ready to bite back and make a fuss where it counted. But all that bowling along headfirst was going to land her somewhere— even if that somewhere was “in danger”. And Saori hadn’t been there when it happened.</p><p>“We… we need to bandage those,” Saori says firmly, leaving no room for argument.</p><p>Hamuko tilts her head slightly. “What about your parents?”</p><p>“They don’t matter,” Saori says, and what a rush, to be able to admit that. “Please, Hamuko-chan. Let me do this for you.”</p><p>Hamuko can’t seem to muster anything in response.</p><p>After a panicked moment of trying to locate the first-aid kit, Saori returns to her bedroom, the contents inside rattling as she fights to stop her trembling hands. The full moon casts a shallow, watery light over Hamuko’s face; she looks like she’s seen a ghost. Rather, she <em>looks</em> <em>like </em>the ghost itself, pale and hollowed out and completely, deathly still, so lacking in her usual pomp that it’s uncanny.</p><p>Saori sets the first-aid kid aside and waves a hand in front of Hamuko’s face. Hamuko doesn’t jump, exactly— more like blinks into reality, as if previously in a trance.</p><p>“I’m going to dress your wounds, okay?” Saori says softly.</p><p>Hamuko winces. “It’s fine. I can do it myself.” </p><p>Past Saori would have deferred to her; the Saori now says, throat tight, “I’m doing it.”</p><p>Realizing the futility of it, Hamuko doesn’t argue. Instead, she shrugs out of her shirt and raises her arms, allowing Saori a fuller view of the attack on her abdomen. Though the cuts go no deeper than what’s visible on the surface, blood has welled all over, painting a gruesome picture of Hamuko bleeding, panting while she staggered all the way to Saori’s house, in search of— reassurance? closure? hospitality? The thought makes her shiver anew. </p><p>“Why?” Saori asks, whisper quiet. Whether it’s to herself or Hamuko, she doesn’t know, but Hamuko answers anyway. </p><p>“I couldn’t just stand there. My friends…” She cuts herself off. “It’s just… nothing mattered at the moment but protecting them. That’s all.” </p><p>“Not even yourself?” Saori pleads, and Hamuko purses her lips. </p><p>“I…” </p><p>When it seems like she won’t continue further, Saori moves to mop up the worst of the blood, carefully avoiding stimulating the cuts and bruises. It’s a familiar motion, this; she just never imagined she would be performing it on anyone but herself. </p><p>Saori eventually discards the rag and rummages around the kit for some ointment. She can hear Hamuko’s forced, slow breathing, like she couldn’t dare betray any unease, like this is an everyday to her, like she’s not even hurt. At some point, she says, “I couldn’t protect all of them,” and it’s so soft that Saori wonders if her ears are fooling her. But she turns around, ointment in hand, and sees the single, damning crack in her armor— </p><p>A tear, glistening white in the full moon. Saori reaches up to brush it away. “You’re…” </p><p>“I know.” Hamuko sniffles. “Hah… sorry. I probably look pathetic right now.” </p><p>“You could never,” Saori says, because it’s the truth— even in moments of weakness, the current of strength beneath Hamuko’s words is undeniable. To Saori, Hamuko had always been a pillar, the lighthouse to Saori’s ship— strong in the exterior sense, in the way a rock is, or a lion. But Saori could have never imagined the depth of Hamuko’s pain, the blood she shed to get to that point. That she still sheds, even today. </p><p>Saori is supposed to be her <em> senior, </em>and yet…</p><p>“Hamuko-chan,” Saori says, and takes Hamuko’s silence as permission to begin applying the ointment. Hamuko grits her teeth, stifling a hiss. “I want you to tell me what happened at the station.”</p><p>Hamuko’s eyes fly towards her. “I, I couldn’t—”</p><p>“Please.” Saori uses her free hand to squeeze Hamuko’s knee. “You’re always taking care of others. I want you to be taken care of for once. Do you trust me?”</p><p>In the dark, Hamuko’s red eyes look nearly black, sparkling with a sheen of unshed tears. “Of course I do. I love you, you know.”</p><p>Saori giggles. “I love you, too.” She leans in and presses a kiss to Hamuko’s nose. Then, while Hamuko stews and gathers her words, continues tending to Hamuko’s wounds. Hamuko seems mostly content to bask in Saori’s ministrations, sifting gentle fingers through Saori’s hair and kissing her temple as she works. </p><p>Then, soft as a passing wind: “My friend got hurt. In fact… he almost died.” </p><p>Saori looks up, searches Hamuko’s face. If not for the tense line of her forehead, Saori would have never guessed she was affected. “It just reminded me… how brittle a human life can be. What would happen if he’d actually died? Back then, I would have moved on. I used to accept things as they were, without question. But now? Now, I don’t think I could handle it at all. I’m scared… that it could break me.”</p><p>Hamuko takes a short, shuddering breath. Her hand finds Saori’s, and only then does Saori realize her own trembling— how pathetic, for her to be this shaken, when Hamuko is the one who witnessed it all. “They’re my reason for living,” Hamuko whispers, squeezing her fingers tight, “and so are you, and everyone I’ve met on this island.”</p><p>“You don’t want to think about how you’d change if you’d lost them,” Saori guesses, and loosens up a little when Hamuko nods. “I used to think you cared too little. But it seems the opposite is true…”</p><p>“It’s embarrassing, hearing my own fears said back to me,” Hamuko says, laughing. </p><p>“But at the cost of your own safety?” Saori says. “Hamuko-chan, I—”</p><p> Hamuko presses a finger to the middle of Saori’s forehead, pushing lightly. “Hey. None of that. I’m alive right now, aren’t I?”</p><p>Saori just pouts. “That’s not it. You… you need to think about yourself more. After all… you’re not the only one afraid of losing someone you love.” </p><p>Hamuko looks taken aback. “Wh— what?” she blurts.</p><p>“If something happened to you, what would become of me? And the friends you treasure?” Saori finishes up with the ointment, begins bandaging Hamuko’s waist to occupy her jittery hands. She hopes Hamuko can’t feel how sweaty they are. “I would be devastated. Hamuko-chan… you underestimate how important you are to other people. Not just by your ability to protect them, but by the way you brighten a room, by how deeply you come to know others… by the way you reach out to those who are lost, like me.” </p><p>Saori draws her hands away to wipe them of blood. The whole time, Hamuko looks glazed over, deep in thought like she’s awakened to something monumental. Saori turns back toward her, drags her fingers over her hair and smiles gently. “Hamuko-chan. So many people love you— me, especially. So please don’t view your life as something that’s worth less, okay?”</p><p>Eventually, Hamuko smiles, too— though bitterness taints it, like a sour note in a melody. “Everyone has dreams they’re protecting. What about me? I’m just living for the sake of it. I’m not…”</p><p>Saori shakes her head. “It’s okay. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now.” When Hamuko still won’t meet her eye, Saori touches her chin and draws her gaze toward her. “Do you remember? I had no desires of my own before we met. I was content to follow the orders of others, just to gain their approval. That’s why I made my life about them and not myself. Didn’t you commit to me, even then?” </p><p>Hamuko laughs, stilted and a little tearful. “Okay, I get it. Sorry. I’ll do better.”</p><p>“That’s good enough, for now.” Relief washes through Saori at that laugh— broken as it may be, there’s a genuine concession in it, a promise to commit. And that’s all Saori needs. </p><p>The moon has long disappeared by now, shrouded by a veil of fog. Stifling what is no doubt a jaw-locking yawn, Hamuko flops against Saori’s side, sinking into her with her entire weight. “I’m tired, Saori-chan. Can I sleep here for tonight?”</p><p>Any and all fear that would have arisen normally seems muffled beneath Saori’s own exhaustion, so sudden in its appearance it’s like being hit by a truck. “Okay. I’ll get you some pajamas.” </p><p>She does so, and in no time Hamuko is snuggled up against her, having knocked out cold. Saori listens to her deep breathing, her light snores. Despite it being labored by injury, Hamuko is alive and well. Glowing even in the dark of midnight. </p><p>Saori holds her tight and falls asleep to her rigorous heartbeat.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know it was your last day at Gekkoukan.” </p><p>“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner,” Saori says, eyes downcast. She meant to, really; it was just… difficult to bring up, after Hamuko’s claim that living without her friends would cause her undue agony. She adds,  “Although we’ll be apart, I’ll write to you daily. I don’t want you to think of this as the end. Rather… think of it as a new beginning.” </p><p>Hamuko giggles, placing her hand over hers. “Saying a line like that— you’ve changed so much.” </p><p>Saori laughs, too. “I’m glad you think so. To be honest… I was worried you wouldn’t take it well.”</p><p>Hamuko hums, sways their hands back-and-forth the way she likes. “Maybe so. But… I feel strangely refreshed. I think it’s because no matter where you are, I know I won’t have to worry.” She thrusts her head forward to grin at Saori. “I mean, look what you did at the PA room! I think that speaks volumes on how well you’ll do at your new school. I’m sure everyone will be flocking to be your friend.”</p><p>“Hehe… I sure hope so.” She neglects to mention that it was only possible because Hamuko was there, with her— without her, she doesn’t know how she’ll fare. But even apart, there will still be a piece of Hamuko with her. And that knowledge, that fact is empowering on its own. </p><p>“I wish I could come with you,” Hamuko whines, jerking her hand around like a child would with their mother. “Saori-chan, sneak me into your luggage!”</p><p>“I don’t think you’ll fit…” Saori says, faux-uncertain, and Hamuko groans.</p><p>“It’s because I eat too much, isn’t it? I’ll have you know—”</p><p>She yammers on and on, face bright and animated, and Saori has seen enough of her to know that it isn’t fake. It’s a testament to how little panic she feels over Saori’s departure— and Saori realizes, as Hamuko won’t have to worry about Saori, that she won’t have to worry about Hamuko, either. Their journey together wasn’t one-sided, after all; this whole time, Hamuko was growing along with her.</p><p>“It’s sort of like a trial,” Saori says, cutting Hamuko’s rambling short. “To see if I can apply what I learned from you… in situations where I am without you.”</p><p>Hamuko grins, knocking Saori on the shoulder with her fist. “You’ll be fine! And if you think you won't be, just remember I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.” </p><p>“Do you promise?” Saori says, keeping her voice firm, so Hamuko won’t mistake it as humor.</p><p>Hamuko’s grin softens into something with less teeth and more honesty. “I promise.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading! please leave comments and kudos if you enjoyed, they feed my writing spirit </p><p>notes!!<br/>- i made saori compare herself to a princess twice (rapunzel, and then cinderella) because i felt she would sort of view herself as a princess waiting for her prince— in this case, hamuko. she stops doing this, though, when she realizes hamuko is not the confident, unflappable prince she first imagined.<br/>- if you noticed the date, october 4th is the day shinji dies. so, basically, hamuko visits saori because she is traumatized after what happened there and wants to make sure saori is alive :)<br/>- i was a liiiittle flexible on when hamuko and saori first started dating; for this fic, i made it somewhere before saori's rank 7, when the magazine scandal happens. the last section is (obviously) a scene ripped out of her last rank, but i didn't want to write it verbatim, so i changed... everything. LMFAO<br/>- there's a lot of stuff i tragically left unexplored (saori's trauma is one, since i placed the focus a bit heavily on hamuko for more ease) but hopefully that's something i can talk about more in future fics. i hope excluding it didn't undermine the fic too much!<br/>- the title is based off of a niki song... again. no i will not change that is a promise</p><p>for art and rambling, here is my twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/nonnecheri">@nonnecheri</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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